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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' G. W. MOON.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 443,582. I Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. W. MOON. GAR COUPLING. No. 443,582. Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

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5 I z 1' v (N0 Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. W. MOON. OAR COUPLING.

No. 443,582. Patente Dec. 30, 1890.

4 Sheets-+Sheet 4. G. W. MOON; GAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

PatentedDec. 30, 1890. 597' UNTTED I STATES PATENT O EicE.

GEORGE \VASIIINGTON MOON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,582, dated December 30, 1890.

Application filed June 2, 1890. Serial No. 353,969. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE WASHINGTON MOON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Vtestminster, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and other Carriages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention for improvements in the automatic coupling of railway and other carriages has for its object to provide an automatic coupling simple in construction, readily applicable to the present rolling-stock, not liable to crash into the end of the adjacent vehicle on the vehicles coming together, and independent of springs and of the different heights of the carriages to be coupled; and it consists in attaching to the existing hook at the end of the draw-bar or to the drawbar itself a hinged or pivoted arm carrying a coupling-hook, the hinge or pivot being at an angle of about sixty degrees to the horizontal. The hooks are bent round with respect to the arms so that they will readily engage, and the arms are bent so as to form a guide to deflect the hooks from jamming in the ordinary coupling-hook or from crashing into the end of the adjacent carriage when the vehicles meet. When two vehicles fitted with this improved coupling come together, the hooks come in contact and under the influence of the pressure rise upward on an inclined plane until their points have crossed, when they automatically fall against the arms, carrying the hooks by their own weight, and on the vehicles being started they couple themselves without any person having to go between the vehicles. The tendency of each arm and hook is always to assume the lowermost position by reason of its own weight; consequently no spring is required to keep the parts coupled. They are uncoupled by slightly backing the vehicles and drawing aside one of the hooks by means of a chain or other suitable connection.

In the accompanying four sheets of illustrative drawings, Figure l is a plan of the adjacent ends of the under frames of two vehicles with sidebuffers coupled together by means of couplings constructed according to this invention and attached to the existing draw-hook now in general use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same; and Fig. 3 is a partial end view of one carriage, showing the arm of the coupling-hook removed. Fig. 4is a simi lar view to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of hook. Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views to Figs. 1 and 2, showing the adjacent ends of two vehicles with central buffers coupled together by means of couplings constructed according to this invention and attached to the ordinary draw-bar, and showing the modified hook; and Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 8 1s a similar view to Fig. 5, showing the usual construction of hook.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 the arms A, carrying the hooks B, are bifurcated, and holes in their ends are passed over the ends D of the bent pins or brackets C, the ends D being inclined at an angle of about sixty degrees to the horizontal. The bifurcated ends of the arms A are while hot opened out and forced over the ends D. The straight or central parts of the bent pins or brackets O can readily be passed into the ordinary draw-hooks F, and the whole are retained in their proper positions by means of side cheeks, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and by pins or projections H, bearing on the fronts of the hooks. Stops J and K limit the downward and upward motions of the arms A.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 the arms A, carrying the hooks B, are pivoted to the brackets C by means of pins D, whichare kept in place by pins E. The pins D are at an angle of about sixty degrees to the horizontal. The brackets O are formed on the existing draw-bars. In all these arrangements one end of a chain L is attached to the back of each hook, the other end of the said chain being led to the side of the vehicle, so that the hook can be drawn out of its coupled position without any person going between the vehicles.

The form of hook shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 8 has its point sloped backward toward the carriage, and the modified form shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 has its surface of contact vertical, so that the hooks readily pass each other when coupling.

Although I have stated the angle between the pins D and the horizontal to be about sixty degrees, it-is evident that this angle may be varied without departing from the nature of this invention. It is not contemplated to make the angle greater than sixty degrees; but it may be made thirty degrees or any angle between thirty and sixty degrees, and an angle of forty-five degrees Will be found to give results substantially equivalent to those obtained from an angle of sixty degrees.

I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An automatic car-coupler consisting of an arm carrying the coupling-hook and hinged or pivoted to the draw-hook or draw bar at an angle of sixty degrees to the horizontal, or approximately so, substantially as set forth.

2. An automatic car-coupler comprising an arm carrying at one end the coupling-hook and having its other end bifurcated and passed over the ends of a bent pin 'orbracket capable of being placed and retained in the ordinary coupling-hook on the end of the draw-bar, the said ends being inclined at an angle of sixty degrees to the horizontal, or approximately so, substantially as set forth.

An automatic car-coupler comprising an arm carrying the coupling-hook and pivoted or hinged to a bracket secured to the drawbar of the car, the said pivot being at an angle of sixty degrees to the horizontal, or approximately so, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Iafiix m ysignature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE \VASHING'ION MOON.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. Macxnxzin, 4.0 Chancery Lane, London, IV C.

T. F. BARNES,

28 Southampton Buildings, London, IV. (I. 

